


Maybe I'm Falling for You

by mayelisa



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: AKA the coffeeshop AU nobody asked for, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Cloud is a barista, Denial of Feelings, F/M, Flirting, Idiots in Love, Jessie and Aerith make a cameo, Tifa is a regular, Zack is the world's greatest wingman, someone get that boy a medal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:14:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27548899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayelisa/pseuds/mayelisa
Summary: Over the past year of working at Midgar University's local coffee shop, Cloud has found himself slowly falling for one of their regulars, Tifa. She seems to like him in return, but will Cloud ever summon the courage to act on his feelings and tell her?
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart & Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife, Zack Fair & Aerith Gainsborough, Zack Fair/Aerith Gainsborough
Comments: 30
Kudos: 114





	Maybe I'm Falling for You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [legendaryboo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/legendaryboo/gifts).



> This is a super, super late birthday present to the wonderful, amazing **legendaryboo**. She has been an absolute ray of sunshine and a blessing in what has been an absolute dumpster fire of a year, so this is the least I can do to thank her for just being an amazing human being. She gave me a couple of prompts she would like and I had to go with the coffee shop AU because who doesn't like a good, cliché coffee shop fic?
> 
> Thank you as always to my amazing beta **[DrWaffle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrWaffle/pseuds/DrWaffle)** who is wonderful and has posted his first ever Cloti fic, so be sure to go check it out and give him some love.

Even through the haze of steam surrounding him, Cloud couldn’t keep his eyes off of the girl across the room. His hands moved on auto-pilot — adding vanilla syrup, steaming the milk, pouring espresso — all while his eyes were locked on to a head of raven black hair.

Tifa, if he remembered correctly from when she placed her order, was a regular at Midgar University’s local café. She always ordered the same thing — a soy latte with an extra shot of espresso — and curled up in the same corner of the cafe. Her textbooks and papers were scattered across the small table in front of her, her headphones securely in place as she stared at the screen of her laptop, taking small sips of her drink every so often. Even from here, through the haze and dim lighting, Cloud was mesmerized. The light from her laptop screen illuminated her face, casting shadows that only highlighted her high cheekbones and heart-shaped face, her earrings glinting in the faint light whenever she turned her head to check her notes.

Cloud was smitten and he knew it. He was just too damn shy to do anything about it.

Tearing himself away from his thoughts, Cloud snapped the lid on the cup in his hands and slid the drink onto the counter beneath the ‘pick-up’ sign hanging overhead. “Vanilla latte for Jessie?” He called, his voice automatically taking on what he and his co-workers jokingly referred to as his ‘customer service voice’. He forced a small smile when a young woman with chestnut hair and gleaming brown eyes bounced up to the counter.

She sighed dreamily as she took a sip. “Perfect as always. Any way I can thank you personally?” She winked, a suggestive lilt to her question.

Cloud pointed at the tip jar, his smile fading in favor of his usual neutral expression. “You can leave a tip and help pay my college tuition.”

Despite his flat tone giving no indication that he was even remotely interested in the girl, it didn’t stop her from giving him a small laugh and another wink as she slipped a few gil into the tip jar. As she waved farewell, her fingers fluttering over her shoulder, Cloud sighed.

He wasn’t cut out for this. He hated forcing a smile and flirting with customers for tips just wasn’t his style. Shaking his head, he started his usual routine of wiping down the espresso machine and counters, his thoughts still on the girl curled up in the corner of the café.

An arm snaked around his shoulders and he groaned when someone leaned against him. “Zack, don’t you have something better to do?”

“I think the better question here is don’t  _ you _ have something better to do than wipe down the counters for the hundredth time today?” Cloud narrowed his gaze at Zack’s broad grin. “You’re not great at being subtle, my friend.”

With a huff, Cloud shrugged Zack off of him and glowered at the rag in his hand. “You’re imagining things.”

“Oh, so I’m imagining the way you just  _ happen  _ to be staring at a certain regular that just  _ happens _ to sit in the same spot every time and just  _ happens _ to stay here until we close whenever you’re on a closing shift?”

“I’m sure she just has a lot of classwork,” muttered Cloud.

He aggressively scrubbed at a stain on the countertop that both he and Zack knew was never going to come off. After a moment, the rest of Zack’s insinuation registered and his eyes shot up to his friend. “And I don’t  _ stare! _ ” he snapped.

Zack hummed in thought, eyes trained on the ceiling as he tapped his finger against his cheek, blatantly ignoring the indignant look on Cloud’s face. “Well…if you don’t call it staring, what do you call it? Appreciating from a distance? Observing? Gawking?”

“I’m not gawking at anyone!” Cloud ignored the way that his voice seemed to crack as it went up an octave.

“So you  _ were  _ staring.” Zack crossed his arms over his chest and chuckled to himself. “Ah man, I can’t believe my little Cloudy is all grown up.”

Gritting his teeth, Cloud threw the rag on the counter and closed the space between himself and Zack with three quick strides. Grabbing the front of Zack’s button-down dress shirt, Cloud yanked the taller man down to his level. “Zack, I swear on Shiva’s icy grave,  _ I will end you. _ ”

“Um…”

Cloud froze, his eyes widening in surprise. Zack shrugged in response to Cloud’s silent question, his expression blank. Turning his head to glance over his shoulder, Cloud wished the floor would open up and swallow him whole. Tifa stood before them, empty coffee cup in hand, and her wide carmine eyes flickering back and forth between Cloud and Zack as if she was trying to decide who was the one in danger.

“U-um —“ Cloud hastily released Zack’s collar and approached the counter, ignoring the heat creeping up his neck. “H-how can I help you?”

“Oh, I —“ Her gaze flickered from Cloud to Zack before settling back on Cloud. “I was just returning my cup.” She held it out for emphasis.

Cloud fumbled to take it from her, nearly dropping the piece of porcelain when his fingers brushed against hers. “Oh, uh, th-thanks.”

Tifa smiled, her carmine eyes sparkling as if she was in on a secret that no one else knew about. “Well, um… see you later, Cloud.”

As she made her way towards the exit, Cloud clutched the coffee cup tightly in his hands. When Tifa turned back to give him a shy smile and wave, he awkwardly waved back as she pushed through the door. The bells chimed, a cheery sound as the door clicked shut.

“See you…Tifa.”

A low whistle and the weight of Zack propping an arm up on Cloud’s shoulder snapped him out of his daze. “Hoo boy, someone’s got it bad.”

Shoving the coffee cup into Zack’s hands, Cloud ducked out from under his friend’s weight as he untied his apron. “I’m going on break.”

“Oooh, gonna chase after her? Didn’t know you had it in ya, Strife.”

“Fuck you, Zack.”

Cloud ignored his friend’s laughter as he slammed the door to the break room behind him.

* * *

Leaning against the back counter, Cloud pulled out his cell phone and sighed. It was nearly closing time and the café had been quiet for the past several hours, only the pitter patter of rain against the windows breaking up the comfortable silence. Only a handful of customers lingered as they finished their late-night caffeine boost before a long night of studying. He had completed most of his closing tasks — sweeping, wiping down the empty tables, and preparing for the morning rush the next day — so all he had left to do was wait for the minutes to tick down until the time he could usher out the last few stragglers and lock the door.

His phone chimed with a text message alert and he tamped down the urge to throw his phone. Ever since his incredibly awkward encounter with Tifa two weeks ago, Zack had been relentless in pushing Cloud to ask Tifa out on a date.

_ “You like her. She likes you. What’s there to lose?” _

Cloud frowned at Zack’s most recent prodding for a moment longer before locking the screen and shoving the device back into his pocket. How did Zack even know that Tifa liked him beyond the fact that she was nice to him? She was nice to everybody, regardless of how well she knew them or not.

His gaze wandered towards the far corner of the café, past the plush leather armchairs surrounding the fireplace and people chatting in hushed voices. Tifa was curled up in her usual corner, laptop closed for a change as she reclined against the soft cushions lining the sofa, an open book resting in her lap. Her eyes were closed and her chest rose and fell in a slow rhythm and Cloud felt a soft smile tug at the corners of his lips.

Pushing away from the counter, he made his rounds through the café telling the patrons that they were closing shortly. Everyone was agreeable enough; the few grumbles and complaints he received were met with a blank expression and a flat tone as he repeated himself. As the last few stragglers collected their belongings, Cloud gathered their used cups and plates, returning them to the bar for washing once everyone was safely out of the building.

Despite the tinkling chime of the bell when the door closed and the scraping of wooden chair legs against the floor, Tifa hadn’t budged from her position. Cloud approached her, unsure of whether he should really be doing this. But another glance at the clock showed that it was nearly midnight and the ache in his feet reminded him that it was time to go home.

Weaving his way through the tables and chairs, Cloud ignored the way his pulse strummed a steady beat in his eardrums and the sweat slicking his palms. He stopped a few feet away from Tifa, his breath coming out in what was definitely not a sigh and decidedly not tinged with longing.

Her eyes remained closed, dark lashes fanning across her fair cheeks that only accentuated the faint dusting of freckles across her nose. Cloud couldn’t help letting his gaze drift down to her lips, parted slightly as she continued to doze in her seat. Shaking his head, Cloud dragged his head out of thoughts of soft lips and fair skin.

Taking a step forward, Cloud froze when Tifa’s brows furrowed and she grumbled incoherently; he exhaled slowly when she merely shifted to curl further into the sofa before drifting back to sleep. Scratching the back of his neck, Cloud weighed his options as he glanced cautiously around the empty seating area. Steeling himself, he ignored the teasing voice in the back of his mind that sounded suspiciously like Zack and reached out to gently shake her shoulder.

“Tifa?” Cloud shook her shoulder again. “Tifa, we’re closing for the evening.”

Her eyes fluttered open, sleep still glazing over her carmine eyes as she took in her surroundings. She blinked a few times and Cloud should have pulled away, but he couldn’t bring himself to remove his hand from her shoulder.

“Mm…Cloud?” Her voice was rough with sleep and Gaia help him, Cloud wondered what it would be like to wake up to that every morning. “What time is it?”

“I-it’s almost midnight.” He wasn’t sure why, but he kept his voice low, as if he was afraid of shattering the fragile sense of intimacy that had bloomed between them. “We’re about to close so…”

“O-oh!” Cloud pulled away as Tifa sat up, her cheeks flushed as her eyes darted around the empty café. Her gaze dropped to the floor as she mumbled, “Sorry…I didn’t realize how late it was.”

Cloud shrugged, feigning a sense of nonchalance that he wasn’t sure he would ever be able to get back. “Everyone just left, so don’t worry about it.”

Tifa remained quiet for a moment. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Cloud rocked back on his heels and ignored the heat tickling at the nape of his neck when Tifa bit her lower lip in thought. When Tifa shyly looked up at him, her cheeks red and eyes glimmering in the low light, Cloud’s breath seized in his throat.

Did she have any idea how beautiful she was?

Clearing his throat, Cloud looked back towards the bar, hoping to hide the flush heating his cheeks. “W-well, I’m uh,” he scratched at the back of his head, ruffling the strands of hair there. “I’m going to finish closing up, but don’t feel like you need to rush or anything.”

Tifa hummed in agreement, the sound almost lost amongst the steady beat of rain against the windows. Neither said a word, letting the quiet clinking of Cloud washing out Tifa’s empty cup and the rustling of Tifa gathering her things wash over them. Though it hadn’t been more than a few minutes, Cloud felt as if time itself had slowed down to simply torture him with the fact that he was alone with Tifa. Ducking into the back room to gather his belongings, he paused in front of his locker. Shaking his head, he frowned at how ridiculous he was being.

There was no reason to feel so tense. It’s not like there was anything happening between them. Tifa was just a regular customer, that’s all.

A sigh escaped him as he shrugged on his jacket, leaving his apron in his locker. “Get it together,” he muttered, grabbing his umbrella and closing the locker door with a sense of finality.

Flipping through the keyring Zack had left him to lock up the shop with, Cloud found himself growing irritated. It was late and all he wanted to do was go home, wash the smell of coffee and smoke from the fireplace out of his hair, and go to sleep. All so that he could turn around and do it all over again tomorrow. So why,  _ why _ , did Zack insist on having what seemed like a hundred keys on the keyring?

“Why the fuck do we need so many keys?” He muttered.

A quiet laugh startled him and he nearly dropped the keys when he looked up to find Tifa standing a few feet away. She held a hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles and at least had the wherewithal to look bashful at being caught, but her eyes were sparkling with humor. Cloud could only stare, dumbfounded that she had not only heard him talking to himself, but had waited for him.

She  _ was _ waiting for him, wasn’t she?

“Tifa, what —?”

“I thought I’d wait for you.” Tifa clasped her hands behind her back and shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal, but the flush on her cheeks gave away her embarrassment. “If you don’t want me to, I —“

“No!” Cloud cleared his throat, his cheeks burning at how desperate he sounded. “I mean, I don’t mind.”

Tifa gave him a shy smile, and Cloud watched, mesmerized as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. He wasn’t sure how long he had been staring, wishing it was him that was tucking her hair behind her ear, but he quickly turned his attention back to the keys in his hand when she tilted her head in a silent question.

“Cloud, are you okay?” Her gaze followed him as he brushed past her. “You seem tense.”

“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” he mumbled.

Opening the door, he gestured for her to walk ahead of him, keeping his gaze trained on the floor as she walked past him. Flicking the lights off, he locked the door behind him, pocketing the keys with a sigh. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Tifa shifting her weight from one foot to another, a clear sign of her nervousness.

“So, um…” Tifa startled at his voice, her eyes darting up to meet his. “Are you gonna be okay? Walking home, I mean.” He shoved his free hand in his pocket to keep himself from rubbing the back of his head. “I noticed you don’t have an umbrella, that’s all.”

Tifa’s eyes softened, their carmine depths seeming to glitter in the warm glow of the street lamps. “I don’t live far, so I’ll be okay. The worst that’ll happen is I’ll get a little wet,” she laughed. She gave him a small wave and a smile as she turned to head back towards home. “I’ll see you around.”

Opening his umbrella with a frown, Cloud mentally weighed his options for about half a second before making a decision. With three long strides, he caught up to Tifa and held the umbrella over her head. He watched her eyes widen at the sudden absence of rain soaking her clothing, her steps slowing as she looked up at him, surprise clear on her face.

“C-Cloud, what are you doing?”

He shrugged, thankful for the rain drumming against the umbrella drowning out how loudly his heart was hammering against his ribcage. “You said you don’t live far, right?”

“Well, yeah, but —“

“Then don’t worry about it. It’s not that far out of my way.”

Tifa bit her lip in thought before nodding slowly. “If you’re sure…”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t.” His words were soft, drowned out by the rain but judging by the color that seeped into her cheeks, she had heard him.

As they walked down the street, shoulders bumping as they tried to stay beneath their small shelter, Cloud felt content for the first time in weeks.

* * *

“You have got to be shittin’ me! Are you serious?”

Glancing around the room, Cloud glowered at his friend. “Would you keep your voice down?!” he hissed. “It’s not that big of a deal!”

“Not that big of a deal?” Cloud winced at the way Zack’s laughter seemed to bounce off the walls and echo in the empty café. “You live in the opposite direction!”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Cloud waited for Zack’s laughter to subside to the occasional chuckle. “Are you done?”

“Oh man.” Zack wiped the tears from his eyes before meeting Cloud’s glare. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you go out of your way like that. You must have fallen hard for her.”

“I —“ Cloud paused, biting back his knee-jerk reaction to deny it. Turning away from Zack’s knowing grin, he bit the inside of his cheek. There was no point in trying to hide his feelings for Tifa, especially not from Zack. But that didn’t stop his embarrassment at the hands of his friend’s teasing, as well meaning as it was. “Shut the fuck up.”

Propping his elbow on the counter, Zack leaned his chin against his hand. “Someone’s crabby this morning.”

Cloud twisted the portafilter in place on the espresso machine with a bit more force than necessary, his irritation flaring. Jamming his finger against the ‘start’ button, he glowered at the slow trickle of espresso pouring into his cup, wishing it would speed up.

“I didn’t get much sleep,” he muttered. He would be damned if he admitted that it was because he had laid in bed, replaying the way Tifa’s arm brushed against his as they crowded under his umbrella or the way she tucked her hair behind her ear and ducked her gaze shyly as she thanked him for walking her home.

“Ahh… Say no more.” Cloud glanced up and scowled when Zack winked at him. “I know exactly what your problem is.”

“Zack, I swear —“

Cloud’s words died in his throat when the small bell above the door tinkled cheerfully, alerting them of a customer arriving. Turning towards the door, Cloud briefly met a pair of carmine eyes before turning his gaze back towards the espresso machine. He distantly heard Zack welcoming Tifa and taking her order, the sound of Tifa’s quiet laugh at one of Zack’s jokes making his heart skip a beat. Once her order had been placed, Cloud hazarded glancing up. Tifa caught his gaze, giving him a shy smile and a small wave before turning towards her usual table.

Ducking his head, Cloud bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from smiling. Even with Zack good-naturedly elbowing him in the ribs, he couldn’t help but be just a little bit pleased about the blush that had dusted Tifa’s cheeks just before she averted her gaze.

* * *

“They’re cute together, aren’t they?”

Zack glanced over to the corner of the café that Tifa usually camped out in; Cloud was sitting beside her, elbows propped up on the table as he nodded in agreement to whatever it was Tifa was talking to him about. Shaking his head, he chuckled as he turned his attention back to the drink he was making. “What makes you say that?”

The girl hummed in thought, her head tilting to the side as she surveyed her friend. Zack couldn’t stop himself from letting his gaze rove over her as she leaned back against the counter. She was pretty — soft brunette locks framing sparkling green eyes that Zack found himself wishing was directed towards him instead of Tifa and Cloud, slender legs, and soft curves hidden beneath her flowy skirt and jacket.

“Well…” She turned to glance at him over her shoulder, a mischievous glint in her eye. “For starters, Tifa talks about him all the time.”

Zack raised an eyebrow at that. “Does she now?”

“Mm-hmm. She said he was cute, but I didn’t expect him to be so shy.” She turned her gaze back to her friend. “He seems sweet though.”

“Cloud’s a good guy. He can be a little rough around the edges sometimes, but he means well.” The sound of Cloud’s quiet laugh caught Zack’s attention and he smiled fondly as he poured the steamed milk into the coffee cup.

“Oh, is that a trait that all baristas have? Being rough around the edges?”

“Depends on the barista.” Snapping the to-go lid on, Zack slid the cup towards the girl and flashed her a grin. “Some of us can be smooth when we want to be.”

A pretty flush spread across the girl’s cheeks, but she merely leaned closer, as if challenging him. “Is that so? Can you point me in the direction of one of these smooth baristas then?” she teased, her eyes sparkling with humor. “I might be interested in testing that theory out.”

Zack turned his gaze to the ceiling, as if he were thinking hard about her question before shrugging. “I can think of one or two,” he said with a wink. “I’m Zack, by the way.”

“I know.”

“And how do you know my name?” Zack rested his arm on the counter. “Should I be concerned about pretty girls investigating me without my knowledge?”

She laughed, a soft, melodious thing, before pointing to his apron. “It’s on your name tag.”

“Ah.” Glancing down, Zack chuckled. “So it is. Well, Aerith —“

She blinked in surprise and Zack swore he was falling for her right then and there. “How did you know my name?”

He leaned closer, their noses mere inches apart as he slid her coffee into her hands. “It was written on your cup.”

Aerith pulled away, her cheeks flushing darker as she turned her attention to the cup in her hands. Zack watched as her mouth quirked into a smile before she glanced up at him, biting her lower lip. “Ah, so it is.”

Straightening up, Zack tapped his hand against the stone countertop. “Let me know if you need anything, Aerith.”

He watched as she hastily made her way back towards Tifa and Cloud, apologizing profusely for interrupting their conversation. Cloud shook his head as he rose to his feet; he approached Zack behind the bar a moment later, his brows furrowed as he narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

“What did you do to her?”

Gasping, Zack placed a hand to his heart in feigned indignance. “Are you accusing me of doing something other than making her a quality cup of coffee from our fine establishment?”

“Cut the bullshit, Zack. What did you do?”

Rolling his eyes, Zack returned to his task of wiping down the steamer wand. “I just made her a cup of coffee, honest.”

Cloud hummed and Zack could tell that his friend didn’t quite believe him. “I wonder why she looked so flustered then. She said she had something important to discuss with Tifa.”

“Ah…” Zack paused in his task, glancing towards Aerith and Tifa, who were now talking in hushed whispers. “That may have something to do with me writing my phone number and ‘call me’ on her cup.”

Cloud merely groaned, but didn’t say anything else on the subject. Unable to take the judgmental silence any longer, Zack turned towards his friend.

“So…do you think she’ll call me?”

* * *

Stifling a yawn, Cloud leaned against the back counter of the café as he scrolled through various social media posts. He wasn’t really absorbing anything in the posts, but he was so bored that he needed to do something to occupy himself before he screamed. Work had been slow, only a handful of customers coming in all afternoon and Cloud swore that time had slowed to a snail’s pace just to torture him. If it wasn’t for the fact that Zack was sharing in his misery, Cloud may have actually gone into the back of the shop and screamed into one of the many pillows scattered on the sofas and chairs.

The only good thing to happen was the fact that Tifa had stopped in, laughing about how she needed the extra caffeine so that she wouldn’t fall asleep during her next lecture. Cloud had ignored the pointed look from Zack in favor of simply making small talk while he made her drink.

Glancing up from his phone, Cloud noticed Zack standing beside him, arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the counter. “What?”

“Are you ever gonna ask her out?”

“Are you ever going to stop nagging me about it?”

“I’ll leave you alone once you ask her out,” countered Zack.

Gritting his teeth, Cloud turned his attention back to his phone briefly before shoving the device back into his pocket. “Fine, I’ll do it.” He glared at Zack, pointing at his friend accusingly. “But only so that you’ll leave me the fuck alone about it.”

Zack grinned widely. “That’s all I wanted, bro.”

“Don’t call me ‘bro’,” muttered Cloud as he stomped past his friend, ignoring Zack’s snickering.

He paused, swallowing thickly as his throat felt as if it was threatening to close up as he approached Tifa — she had stopped to talk with a friend, but Cloud knew that he wouldn’t have long until she had to leave. Wiping his hands on his pants, he cleared his throat, unsure of how to approach her. Tifa seemed to have heard him as she turned to face him, eyes wide and her mouth parted in surprise. She visibly relaxed, her shoulders dropping as she smiled up at him. Cloud scratched the back of his neck, averting his gaze to the far corner of the room.

“H-hey, um…” God, he sounded like a terrified teenager trying to confess to the first girl he liked and he hated it. “C-can I talk to you for a second?”

She blinked in surprise. “Oh, sure thing!”

Cloud waited while she bid farewell to her friend before gesturing for her to follow him. She did so without question, though he could see the confusion on her face when he led her towards a small table near the fireplace. Taking the seat with his back to the wall, Cloud curled his fingers into the fabric of his apron under the table, hoping that Tifa wouldn’t notice how nervous he truly was or hear how loudly his heart was beating in his chest.

Taking the seat across from him, Tifa tilted her head to the side in curiosity. “What’s up?”

“Listen, Tifa, I —“ Exhaling shakily, Cloud raised his gaze and noticed Zack giving him a thumbs up and encouraging wink from across the room. As ridiculous as it was, it helped steady his nerves enough that his hands relaxed their hold on his apron as he brought his gaze to meet Tifa’s. “Would you like to go out sometime? With me, I mean.”

“I —“ Tifa’s cheeks flushed a deep pink as she simply stared, eyes impossibly wide.

Feeling the little bit of confidence he had mustered leave him, Cloud ducked his head. “If you don’t want to, I totally understand. I just thought…”

“Cloud, I —“ Tifa’s voice was quiet, almost hesitant, but Cloud could hear the underlying elation in her words. “I would love to go out with you.”

Relaxing, Cloud nearly slumped down in his seat with relief. He couldn’t keep the incredulousness out of his voice when he quietly asked, “You would?”

“Of course I would,” she replied softly. Meeting his gaze, she smiled. “I don’t let just  _ any _ barista walk me home in the middle of the night, you know.”

Cloud chuckled at that, and any remaining tension he may have had dissipated. “Good to know I won’t have much competition then.”

“No,” she laughed. “I suppose you won’t.”

They made plans for later in the week to go out for a meal — not coffee, they had easily agreed on — and Cloud was damn near giddy when they exchanged phone numbers. Neither one of them noticed the time until Tifa glanced at her watch.

“Shoot, I’m late for my class.” Rising to her feet, she smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry, but I really can’t miss this class.”

Cloud waved off her apology as he rose to his feet as well. “Don’t let me keep you. I should probably get back to work before Zack decides to check in with us.”

Tifa laughed when he rolled his eyes and Cloud’s heart skipped a beat. “Well then… See you Saturday?”

“Yeah…see you then.”

Cloud’s eyes widened when Tifa stepped closer and he swore he would drop dead right then and there as she leaned up on her tiptoes, brushing her lips against his cheek in a chaste kiss. It lasted half a moment before she pulled away, cheeks flushed and a sheepish smile on her lips.

“I’m looking forward to it,” she murmured. Waving goodbye to Zack, she hurried out of the café but not before glancing over her shoulder at Cloud one last time as the door clicked shut behind her.

Reaching up, Cloud gingerly brushed his fingertips against his cheek where she had kissed him. Feeling starstruck as he was, he didn’t notice Zack approaching him until his friend’s weight settled over his shoulder.

“So?” He prompted.

“We’re…we’re going out on Saturday,” said Cloud, disbelief still coloring his words.

Zack clapped his hand on Cloud’s shoulder, startling him out of his stupor. “See? What did I tell ya?”

Cloud glowered at his friend, but he couldn’t help the answering grin that spread across his face. “Okay, fine. You win.”

Rolling his eyes at Zack’s exuberant whooping and fist pumping, Cloud returned to his post behind the counter with Zack trailing behind. As he mulled over what he should wear for his date and made the near-instant decision to not consult Zack, his friend propped his elbows up on the counter, chin resting on his hands as he sighed wistfully.

“Do you think that you could get Tifa’s friend to go on a date with me?”

**Author's Note:**

> Come hang out with me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/mayelisa13)!


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